Romancing Baler
On Baler The Movie. I must say that we are certainly getting closer to the true picture of the Philippine Revolution. There was a time when a Filipino soldier had to be barefoot, poorly clothed and very Indio looking. According to our history books, it's the other way around. Officers of the Philippine Republican Army were composed mostly of graduates of Ateneo, UST, Letran and other schools reserved for the affluent in Philippine society. A considerable number of Filipino officers were Creoles such as Col. Sityar, Col. Leyba or Major Manuel Quezon. As such, I find it unnecessary to tan our mestizo actors just to make them look "Filipino" or Indio. Andres Bonifacio himself was a Spanish Mestizo. This justifies the choice of Joel Torre and Leo Martinez as commanding officers of the Philippine Republican Army that attacked Baler. It is equally alright to choose another Mestizo in the person of Philip Salvador to play as one of the leaders of the revolution.
When it comes to Anne Curtis, is it necessary to have a dark beauty for a Filipina character? The Philippines has the highest concentration of Eurasians in Asia due in part to Hispanization. Also, we must remember that the movie is set during Spanish colonial rule when there were far more Mestizas than today. It is alright to choose a Mestiza to play the character of a Filipina!
During the Philippine Revolution, the Spanish Army was filled with Filipinos while the Philippine Republican Army had many former Spanish soldiers in them. Colonel Sityar, the head of the Academia Militar of Aguinaldo's army was a former officer of the Spanish Army. Same with Major Segovia although he turncoated to the American side and aided in the capture of Emilio Aguinaldo. The Philippine Revolution was more like a civil war between the Reactionaries (government) and Liberals (revolutionaries) rather than a war between skin colors. As such, the setting of the movie is close to reality with Filipinos serving in the Spanish Army in the person of Celso (Jericho Rosales) and Lope (Mark Bautista).
What I am skeptic about is the choice of Mestizos to play the role of Spaniards. For us Filipinos they may seem white but to the international movie audience, are they Caucasian-looking enough? I could barely distinguish between the Spanish and Filipino soldiers at the beginning of the movie. The only Caucasian-looking Spanish soldier was one blonde guy and for a real westerner, that guy isn't even blonde but brunette!
Over all, I think Baler was a success. Rating it from 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest, I give it a 9!
When it comes to Anne Curtis, is it necessary to have a dark beauty for a Filipina character? The Philippines has the highest concentration of Eurasians in Asia due in part to Hispanization. Also, we must remember that the movie is set during Spanish colonial rule when there were far more Mestizas than today. It is alright to choose a Mestiza to play the character of a Filipina!
During the Philippine Revolution, the Spanish Army was filled with Filipinos while the Philippine Republican Army had many former Spanish soldiers in them. Colonel Sityar, the head of the Academia Militar of Aguinaldo's army was a former officer of the Spanish Army. Same with Major Segovia although he turncoated to the American side and aided in the capture of Emilio Aguinaldo. The Philippine Revolution was more like a civil war between the Reactionaries (government) and Liberals (revolutionaries) rather than a war between skin colors. As such, the setting of the movie is close to reality with Filipinos serving in the Spanish Army in the person of Celso (Jericho Rosales) and Lope (Mark Bautista).
What I am skeptic about is the choice of Mestizos to play the role of Spaniards. For us Filipinos they may seem white but to the international movie audience, are they Caucasian-looking enough? I could barely distinguish between the Spanish and Filipino soldiers at the beginning of the movie. The only Caucasian-looking Spanish soldier was one blonde guy and for a real westerner, that guy isn't even blonde but brunette!
Over all, I think Baler was a success. Rating it from 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest, I give it a 9!
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